“For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to his own glory and excellence (virtue).” 2 Pet 1:3 (Amplified)
I mentioned yesterday that God had called me to a lifestyle of praise and worship and shared my very first test of that principle. The second proofing of that mandate was not far behind. A few weeks after revealing His purpose for my life, God spoke to me asking me to quit my job and focus solely on preparing myself for the task He had for me. After months of struggling within myself as I sought advice of Christian friends, I finally let go and let God. The immediate big challenge before me was my wedding, so I asked God how we would pay for it. God’s response was “Trust and praise Me”. Since I already had a good experience from having trusted Him the first time, it gave me the confidence to trust Him once again, although the stakes were higher this time around.
With no work to go to, I would wake up each morning and embark on an enjoyable time of praising God and thanking Him for supplying everything that we needed for the upcoming wedding and as I once again sought to prove Him by holding Him to His word. I can still recall that two months prior to the wedding I had just two pound and forty-five pence in my account, but I had a peace, which the bible says surpasses all understanding and was not worried at all about God’s ability to keep His promise. In fact, I felt so confident and was consequently at peace within myself that it became evident in my demeanour and a friend commented that for someone getting married, I looked too cool. The reality was that I had handed over my situation to God and was not about to take it back and worry about it. Since God had everything under control, I saw no need to lose sleep over something I had no control over. I just kept praising God. So, how did it go? Well, just as God had promised. He supplied everything we needed for the wedding and we even had a honeymoon as part of the package. One month after the wedding, I again checked my account and had one pound and forty-five pence left. I finally understood that praising God and cultivating the lifestyle of praise really works. Ever since, I have been living that lifestyle and learning more about God. As a family, we presently have projects that we are just praising God for because He has specifically directed us to do so in order to resolve some challenges before us and I have no doubt that everything will be just as He has said.
I have discovered that through praise you can withdraw instalments of blessing from your account in heaven to meet your daily needs here on earth. Praise strengthens your faith, which serves as the link or conduit through which God pours down His blessings into our lives thus allowing us to live life to the full, as well as experience His benevolence. Nevertheless, I have also learnt a very important lesson, which is that praise will first impact and change you before changing your situation. So, even when you do not see immediate result, keep at it. God will certainly pay you a visit because praise prepares the way for Him.
Prayer:
Lord, since faith translates spiritual entities into physical realities, help me to grow my faith through praising you so that my life will truly reflect your glory in my world. Cause heaven to come down and bring your glory to my soul. Amen.